>The possibilities are endless. What should I do to enrich my life? I can’t think of a class I’d like to take at the moment, plus I’m not really in a position to spend money on something that isn’t essential.
Volunteering is supposed to be good for the giver and receiver, but what the hell am I going to do? Maybe I can work with “disadvantaged” youth. I feel bad for kids who got the short stick when it comes to parents and/or family. I’m lucky to have a family I can trust. It makes me sad to think there are people in this world who cannot trust their parents or hardly anyone in the family. Let’s put it this way, everyone in my family has a key to my house. In fact, I would even trust my aunts, uncles and cousins with a key to my house. Don’t get me wrong, none of us are perfect, but we are all fairly well adjusted. Maybe if I can show a kid that such love is possible in the world, I can help them have a better life.
>Big Brothers Big Sisters, girlie. I've been a Big for 2 & 1/2 years now and it's one of the best things I've ever done. Wouldn't trade the experience for anything. My little sister went from D's in the 6th grade to mostly A's and B's by 8th grade. She knows someone cares now. I get excited for her when she does well and I tell her how great she is all the time. It's really easy. All you have to do is be the kid's friend. Go do fun stuff with them. Take them to a movie, cook at home together, plant flowers. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money. They just need to know that someone cares about them and to get the one-on-one attention that they might not get at home. Most are from single-parent families that don't have much money. There may be tough times but the good always outweighs the bad.
If you're not sure you commit to mentoring (I think you could though!) check out Project R.I.D.E. http://www.projectride.org I guarantee you you'll leave there so thankful that you could make a kid's day a little bit brighter. Those kids got dealt a tough hand, but they're all doing their very best to learn and grow. Some of the kids aren't able to communicate or relate with other people well, but they have a special relationship with "their" horse and it helps them. You'll never see an upset kid around those horses.
So, yeah. I'm a big fan of volunteering. It makes me feel great to be able to help a few other people. I'm so lucky to have everything that I have – to have had family in my life who wanted me to succeed, to have met and married someone who supports whatever it is I want to give my time to. I hope my little sister graduates (she'll be the first on either side of the family), goes to college for something she loves, and will wait for the right man to come along. She's already into volunteering, so I have a pretty good idea that when she's grown up and settled, she might do the same. That's my hope anyway. 🙂
I wrote you a mini-novel.